“Comparing your inability to hit the ‘back’ button with torture is disgusting. Blame everyone but yourself.  PAH-thetic.”

“John Ashcroft appeared Wednesday on “The Daily Show” to defend the president’s various abuses of power, including torture, which he characterized as stern questioning.”

Sorry Technodaoist, but the only thing truly PAH-thet is your inability to understand the facts. Ashcroft didn’t come on ‘The Daily Show’ to defend the Presidents positions, as the teaser implied, but to promote his book.. plain and simple.

I watched the video with the hope and promise of seeing the confrontation. It didn’t happen…

You all have the responsibility to know what your government does in your name. How does one do that? In Iraq, there are only “imbedded” journalists (military approved). Read Chalmers Johnson.

I don’t think Jon Stewart is a waste, per se.

I do think that he obviously uses the fact that he does run a comedy show and not a news show to his advantage, so that he can look like a smart comedian and not a ineffective political commentator.

He does bring humor to horrible situations and circumstances in order to try to show that politicians are rarely ever truthful and the idiocy of most individuals in power.

At the same time, The Daily Show shows the ineffectiveness of most cable network news shows/channels and calls into question the media in general. I think those are all good things. However, he does tend to go easy on all of his “important” guests whether they be on the left or right. Unfortunately, since politicians don’t need to be on The Daily Show (compared to say “Larry King Live” or another show of that caliber) Stewart needs to be careful with the guests he has on or else he will never have any big-time guests on.

I think that it’s sad that he has to play his show that way, I think it shows how much he is willing to speak truth to power, but out of any of the other political commentators, journalists, or even comedians on basic cable, Jon Stewart (and Stephen Colbert) do a great job of trying to be a breath of fresh air in an otherwise foggy politically motivated media climate.

As I see it.. the only torture issue here is truthdig wasting eight minutes of my life, watching a lame video that failed to make a point - other than the studio music is too loud.
Comment #32598 by Carruth00

OMGIMLOLAU - Amazing.  Truthdig MADE you come to their website.  Truthdig MADE you click on and watch the video.  Truthdig MADE you post your inane and ignorant comment.

It seems that NOT taking responsibility for your own actions is par for the course. 

Comparing your inability to hit the ‘back’ button with torture is disgusting.

Blame everyone but yourself.  PAH-thetic.

Jon Stewart is a waste. He did not ask one significant question of Ashcroft. What a waste of time.

Comment #30747 by Spinoza on 10/20 at 11:25 pm

Replace “Jon Stewart” with “Bill O’Reilly”  and “Ashcroft” with “Bush” and you would have a more accurate statement.

You learn more truth listening to how people answer (or avoid) Stewart’s ‘worthless’ questions, while O’Reilly just makes excuses for his interviewees…

John Stewart is just another loud mouth from the entertainmant industry who thinks he has the knowledge and endorsement from other “air-heads” to pretend to be a politician! What a joke this guy has continually made himself out to be. And to think there are those that believe Stewart is speaking with authority. The Hollywood scene sickens me!

Jon Stewart ‘grilling’ Ashcroft? Are you kidding? If the US asked such manner of questions to detainees would we be ‘grilling’ them? I suppose such grilling would be considered out of line and akin to torture.. right?

As I see it.. the only torture issue here is truthdig wasting eight minutes of my life, watching a lame video that failed to make a point - other than the studio music is too loud.

Come on guys.. you’re going to have to dig deeper than this.

Spinoza, if Stewart is a waste for not, according to you, asking “one significant question” then what would you call O’Riley for not pushing the president to clarify his stance on torture? At least Stewart doesn’t pretend to be a journalist, which is more than I can say for that Neocon toadie O’Riley and the rest of the bootlickers at Fox.

“What good things are happening in Iraq?”

The country was invaded by foreign forces after being ruled by a murderous despot and is now embroiled in a civil war.  Men, women and children are violently killed every single day. Yet some people request “good news”??.

It reminds me of the time that my cousin was accidently shot and blinded and a friend, thinking to console me, said “Don’t worry! Be happy!”

You guys are idiots! Jon Stewart is a COMEDIAN not a politician, Bill O’reilly or any type of journalist.

Jon Stewart is a comedian. I love how you guys get in a twist about how the stand-up won’t ask a hard question. What a strange turn the world has made.

Jon Stewart is a waste. Why? Because Jon Stewart is a comedian, not a journalist. He shouldn’t be taken seriously, it is pathetic that Stephen and others would think so.

After the obnoxious Denis Miller, put-down artist and bouncer for the Empire, we have the singing AG on a luke-warm seat. Is Jon getting pressured? What good things are happening in Iraq?

I think that Pres. Regan is still with us , in Spirit .  We should have never gone to “WAR”.  Keep your Military Built Up at Home, and you do not send your Natl. Guard 1st to Battle, now you leave them at home, to keep us SAFE at home .  The Older Pres. Bush , be-friended Pres. Reagan That is why he didn’t see him in Santa Barbara.  We had better Relations with the World when we were strong .  We can’t afford this WAR at all. Our econcomy, has sunk to all time lows, and they know it , we don’t need to be in a Religious War, we as a Country had the same thing years ago, in our History .  We I think as an Am.erican Citizen , are on the brink of Civil War here again.  Our very Civil Libiterites are practically gone, now.  This was all an excuse to get rid of our very Civil Liberties.  Donna

I don’t agree with Spinoza’s assertion that Stewart’s interview with Ashcroft was a waste of time, but I would agree that Jon was far too soft-ball with the former Atty. Gen. So many more things he could have asked.

How come Jon Stewart did not ask Ashcroft why he called his book Never Again?  It is an important question to get the context.

Jon Stewart is a waste. He did not ask one significant question of Ashcroft. What a waste of time.